Hey guys, I'm looking into an A6 right now. It's an 05 with 42k miles on it, fully loaded. Before I head out to the Bronx to check it out this week, is there anything I should look at besides the standard tire, oil, trans. fluid, paint, engine bay and test drive check? Anything specific regarding a problem with the A6 I should be aware of?

If somebody would be kind enough to run a Carfax for me, here's the VIN:
WAUDL94F05N088597.

On that note, if anyone in New York/New Jersey is selling an 05+ A6 4.2, with less than 45k on the clock, I'm looking to spend in the lower $20k range. Please contact me.

Thanks for any help, in advance.

 

How much are they asking for it?

2005 was the first model year, and thus prone to more teething problems. I know the MMI interface software will likely need to be upgraded by the dealer, I dont own an A6 but other people have told me to stay away from the 05's and possibly 06's. These are not cheap cars to work on, and you dont want to pay to help Audi find its glitches.

Of course, if the car is cheap and has low miles, buy it, get an extended warranty, and sell it by 100k and you might do fine.

 

They're asking 26k originally. But I've talked them down to $22.5k. And we'll definitely be getting a warranty of some sort for the car.

Are there any specific common issues I should be aware of?

 

I have an 05 4.2 that I purchased new nearly 4 years ago. She currently has 51k on the odometer. As far as reliability, she is ok, but she is no Lexus. But she is alot of fun to drive. Most of the problems have been nuisances.

The airbag light came on two weeks after I purchased the car. It took them 10 days to figure out the problem. Audi then came out with a TSB on updating the computer software for the airbags.

The MMI "crashed" a year after I bought the car. After having the car for 8 days, Audi wiped the hardware clean and reinstalled the MMI computer software.

The MMI had a few bugs with not updating the satellite radio stations, losing surround settings and sometimes not automatically linking with my bluetooth phone. Audi had the car for a day and updated the MMI computer software. Audi has a TSB on this issue as well.

I have written those three problems off to having a very early computer software version. To give you an idea of the number of changes in the software, my car came with MMI version 10 and now has version 33. Since being updated to MMI version 33, about a year ago, I have not had any computer issues. I understand that there is now a version 41 that is available. Since my MMI has been stable with version 33 I have not upgraded to 41. From fellow Audi owners I understand that the differences between 33 and 41 are negligible.

As far as non-computer issues. I have had quite a few. The first was that all 8 coil packs had to be replaced. The second was the lid for the gas cap would not open from inside the car. In order to open it I had to wedge my credit card inside the lid and open it from the outside. Audi had the car for 2 days to fix these problems. The third was that the frame for the front passenger seat came loose and the entire seat had to be removed and the bolts tightened. The fourth was a rattle in the glove box area of the dashboard. The fifth was a bad tire pressure sensor. The sixth was a mildew smell from the air conditioner vents, which required the replacement of a ventilation duct. The seventh was a rattle from the rear fold down seats, which required a new clamp. The eighth is a rattle from the drivers side of the dashboard, which required additional damping material. The ninth is the fuel filter recall, which required a new fuel filter. The tenth is the fuel gauge sometimes reads empty even though there is fuel in the tank, which required a computer software upgrade. The eleventh is that the transmission developed a chirping and the transmission software had to be upgraded. The twelfth is that the coolant light would come on for no reason, which required an upgraded electrical circuit. The thirteenth is that the power steering reservoir leaked, which required a revised clamp. Fourteenth, the front brakes developed a vibration at slow speeds and the brake caliper seals had to be replaced due to a re-design. The fifteenth is that the the motor for the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel had to be replaced because of a groaning noise. The sixteenth is the motor for the rear power sunshade had to be replaced because that motor was groaning and clicking as well. Similar to the computer issues discussed above, Audi has TSBs on all of these issues, seeming to indicate that the problems are not isolated to just my car. Audi has also issued dozens of other TSBs on issues that I have not experienced since I have the 4.2 engine instead of the 3.2 engine. In total, the 3.2 has over 200 TSBs, which is Audi's lingo for an unpublished recall. If you complain about these items while the car is under warranty, Audi will fix the problem for free, which sounds like a recall to me.

Despite the car being at the dealer for over 40 days for repairs during the last 45 months, not maintenance, I would certainly buy the car again because the 4.2 is alot of fun to drive, especially on the highway,and the dealer gives me a loaner. However, I would check which MMI software version is currently in the car. If it is below 33, I would take it to Audi and have it updated as soon as possible. In addition, I would check the car's VIN and compare it to the Audi TSBs and see what issues you need to keep an eye on. You can get copies of the Audi TSBs at eBahn's website. The dealer will probably give you the car's maintenance records. While the car is still under warranty, I would make sure you complain about any issues contained on the TSBs issued for your VIN. If you are buying an aftermarket warranty I would get an exclusionary warranty that your local Audi dealer accepts.

Despite the issues with the car, I think that it is a great driving car. However, keep in mind that I am an original owner who paid close to $60,000 for my daily driver and who according to my wife is the President of the "More Money than Brains" club. For example, changing the transmission fluid costs over a $1,000 just for the fluid, not including labor. Also keep in mind that the 55,000 mile service is the "major" service for the car. If money is an issue, you may want to look for a car that is cheaper to "maintain". Regardless of your decision, you will enjoy driving an Audi, but you may not enjoy the maintenance. Good luck.

Kevin

 

Very detailed...and sorta scary post. I can't believe that transmission fluid really costs that much. That's absolutely absurd. I wonder how common these issues are with the car, it's sort of making me think twice.

 

Despite the "maintenance issues", it is a great driving car and a lot of fun. As far as how common the issues are, there were TSBs issued for every problem except the rear window shade. Which tells me that I am not the only one to have experienced the problems.

 

I'm sure it is a great driving car, but man...I sure hope that the warranty we get covers a transmission fluid change. :|

I'll be driving it on Wed. Gonna' be supplied a Carfax for it by the dealer, and gonna' visit a nearby Audi dealer to check out the service history of the car. All I have to do is supply them the VIN right?

 

Well, I test drove the first car. The exterior was great, but there were a bunch of problems inside. Maybe I don't quite understand how the Start/Stop works, but I could only start the car by twisting the key. Why? How do the Start/Stop buttons work?

Also, the keyfob wouldn't open the trunk for some reason - the button in the door did work. The dealbreaker for me was that the car didn't have Navi and there was dog hair all over the headliner and I'm rather certain the car may have been used a taxi (I saw coffee stains on the rear cup holder in the arm rest).

But my impression of the car's performance (an A6 4.2 in general) is very good. Fantastic engine, great transmission, handles well too. Wednesday is another appointment, hopefully it fares better. I didn't take this A6 4.2 for obvious reasons, and they were so keen on selling it that they went from $26k, to $22.5 (the price that made me take the trip to Jersey), down to $21.5 before I left.

 

The Advanced Key (push buttons) works when you step on the brake and simultaneously push the button that you want. However, many of the 2005 switches failed multiple times. There are several TSBs. I am lucky to say that I never had a problem with the Advanced Key buttons.

The trunk may have been in valet mode.

 

Yep, I was on the brake and pressing the button. The Stop button worked, but the Start didn't. As far as the trunk, if it was in valet mode, would it still open when using the latch release button in the door? I'm pretty sure the fob was dead/bad, because I couldn't lock or open the doors with it, either.